Why did the woman mislead Absalom's servants in 2 Samuel 17:20? Why the Woman Misled Absalom’s Servants (2 Samuel 17:20) Immediate Narrative Context David is fleeing Jerusalem because of Absalom’s coup (2 Samuel 15:13–17). Absalom receives counsel from Ahithophel to pursue David that very night (17:1–4). Hushai, a loyal friend left behind to frustrate Ahithophel’s advice, sends word through Zadok’s and Abiathar’s sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan, to warn David (17:15–16). The two young men hide in a well at Bahurim (17:18–19). “When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they asked, ‘Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?’ The woman answered, ‘They crossed over the brook of water.’ But when they had searched and found no one, they returned to Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 17:20). Purpose: Preserving Covenant Purposes and Lives 1. Yahweh had covenanted that David’s line would endure forever (2 Samuel 7:12–16). 2. Protecting David from sudden capture preserved that covenant and, ultimately, the Messianic lineage culminating in Christ (Matthew 1:1). 3. The woman’s ruse therefore served God’s redemptive program while sparing the innocent lives of the couriers (cf. Proverbs 24:11). Ethical Analysis: Deception in Extremis Scripture never praises falsehood per se (Proverbs 12:22), yet records instances where deception prevented murder and advanced God’s objectives—Rahab (Joshua 2:4–6), the Hebrew midwives (Exodus 1:17–20), and Elisha at Dothan (2 Kings 6:19). Each case shared three traits: • Imminent threat to innocent life. • Alignment with God’s revealed purposes. • No personal gain but service to others. Reformed ethicists describe such situations as “conflicts of duties.” When two moral imperatives collide—truth-telling versus preserving life—priority falls to the higher commandment of protecting the innocent (Exodus 20:13). Warfare Setting Absalom’s uprising constituted civil war. Ancient Near-Eastern law and the Torah recognize ruses in combat (De 7:2; Joshua 8:2–8). The woman’s words occur within wartime espionage rather than ordinary civic life, a context Scripture treats differently (1 Samuel 16:1–5). Providential Agency Hushai had prayed, “O LORD, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness” (2 Samuel 15:31). The woman’s quick thinking forms part of the divine answer: Ahithophel’s strategy is thwarted, David escapes, and Absalom’s revolt soon collapses (2 Samuel 18:7–15). Cultural and Archaeological Notes • Wells doubled as storage shafts; excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa and Tel Dan reveal plaster-lined cisterns of similar depth that could conceal adults. • Clay seal impressions (bullae) from the City of David inscribed with names ending in “-yahu” corroborate both the theophoric naming pattern of the era and the text’s setting. No variant manuscripts omit the woman’s action; the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scroll fragment 4QSam⁽ᵃ⁾, and the Septuagint agree on the core details, underscoring historical reliability. Parallel New-Covenant Implications Just as the woman shielded the messengers who carried a life-saving warning, so the Church is charged to protect and advance the Gospel message that rescues from eternal death (Romans 10:14–15). Her courage prefigures the safeguarding of apostles in Acts (9:25). Answer Summarized The woman of Bahurim misled Absalom’s servants to preserve innocent life, uphold God’s covenant with David, and assist in overthrowing wicked counsel. Her act, though involving deception, was righteous in wartime context, aligned with higher moral duty, and instrumental in the providential chain leading to Messiah’s advent. |
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